While your online gives a lot of control over your account, there are some times that you need to speak to a live customer service representative over the phone. Contacting your credit card customer service allows you to get your questions answered in real-time over the phone. Make sure you call using the number from the back of your credit card or from the credit card issuer’s website. Your Credit Card is Missing You should never drag your feet with a missing credit card....

More than 1,000 independent agents sell Merchant Insurance Group’s personal and business insurance products to a resident of Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The company employs over 300 people through its five regional locations. Giving back to the community is part of the corporate culture of Merchants Insurance Group. Since 1999, employees of the company have donated more than $600,000 to charities and non-profit groups including the American Heart Association, FeedMore WNY, The Food Bank of South Jersey, the New Hampshire Food Bank, Hamburg Mutts for Freedom, and many others....

Managed by State Street Global Advisors, SPDRs are like a mini-portfolio of stocks and derivatives that have the goal of emulating an investment vehicle, usually an index, commodity, or strategy. SPDRs track some of the most actively traded indexes and commodities on U.S. exchanges. The SPY SPDR ETF The ticker symbol “SPY” represents the SPDR ETF that tracks the S&P 500. If you have an interest in the stock market, or specifically in the S&P 500, buying SPY shares may be the best way to beef up your investment portfolio....

Affirm, a popular “buy now, pay later” company, announced a first-of-its-kind debit card Thursday that will let consumers choose whether they want to take out a no-interest loan when they pay for larger purchases. While financing options are common in today’s online shopping marketplace, payment cards usually charge for that privilege. This unusual new product, the Affirm Card, will let cardholders choose how they want to pay for purchases that cost more than $100: directly from a bank account, like a typical debit card transaction, or spread out over four, interest-free payments....

You might want to consider getting an EIN just to be on the safe side—it will be there if you’re ever called upon to provide one. It doesn’t cost anything, so why not make a small investment of your time? A tax ID for a business serves the same purposes as a Social Security number for individuals. The general term is “taxpayer ID,” which can be one of several different numbers....

An Introduction to American Eagle Gold Bullion Coins In 1985, Congress authorized the creation of the American Eagle gold bullion coins as a way for investors to conveniently acquire small stakes of gold for their portfolio. The first minting came a year later, in 1986, with the same four sizes that are available today: 1 oz., 1/2 oz., 1/4 oz., and 1/10 oz. The law contained a provision that only gold bullion mined in the United States can be used in the American Eagle gold bullion coins; a practice still followed today....

A chart of spending on motor vehicles and parts shows that in March and April, Americans ramped up their purchases of new and used vehicles to record levels, even as they spent less on other products in favor of services instead. News of a computer chip shortage forcing carmakers to cut production reached car-shoppers who were planning to buy over the summer, and some decided to pull the trigger early, said Charles Chesbrough, senior economist at Cox Automotive, an automotive data company....

Commercial banks are the department stores of the financial services world. Thrift institutions and credit unions are more like specialty shops that, over time, have expanded their lines of business to better compete for market share. While credit unions are sometimes considered thrift institutions, there is one important distinction: depository insurance. Thrifts and commercial banks are covered by FDIC, credit unions are covered by NCUA, though both are covered to the same limit per financial institution....

The stigma of filing for bankruptcy can come in the form of negative views of friends and family, or it can be more concrete in the form of inability or difficulty in obtaining credit. Although the stigma of bankruptcy varies greatly and there may be some truth to it, you shouldn’t dismiss the possibility and the potential positives of filing bankruptcy without careful thought. If you consider an actual cost-benefit analysis before filing for bankruptcy, you may discover what hundreds of thousands of people do every year: that bankruptcy is worth it....

The amount of an investor’s total portfolio placed in each class is determined by an asset allocation model. These models are designed to reflect the personal goals and risk tolerance of the investor. Furthermore, individual asset classes can be sub-divided into sectors. For example, if the asset allocation model calls for 40% of the total portfolio to be invested in stocks, the portfolio manager may recommend different allocations within the field of stocks, such as recommending a certain percentage in large-cap, mid-cap, banking, or manufacturing....

Being properly prepared for this fairly common emergency can save you a lot of money in the short and long term. If you have all of the tools you need, including a spare tire, then changing a tire will only cost you the price of the tire—which can typically run around $100 for a standard new tire, depending on the size of the car. Most new and used cars come standard with a jack and a lug wrench, the two most important tools that you will need, as well as a spare, often referred to as a “doughnut,” which is a smaller tire designed for temporary use in order to allow you to either drive home or to a repair center....

The Average Interest Rate on Savings Accounts How much should you earn on your savings? There’s a wide discrepancy between how much certain banks pay. Average vs. Competitive Rates The FDIC reports that the average rate is roughly 0.08% APY, but that’s hardly competitive. Some online banks, like MySavingsDirect, pay as much as 0.50% with no minimum balance requirement. Many others pay more than the FDIC-listed average. The following table shows how much savings interest rates vary between banks....

Find out if dividend mutual funds are right for you, and which Fidelity funds best fit your income goals. Why Invest in Dividend Mutual Funds When you invest in a standard mutual fund, your money is added to a larger pool of money from all of the fund’s investors. This sum is then used to purchase stocks, bonds, or other assets. All of these holdings make up a single portfolio that is managed by those experts who know the market....

Understand What Lenders Are Looking For Lenders use credit scores, including your FICO score, to gauge how responsible you are at using credit. These credit scores are based on things like your payment history, how much of your available credit you’re using, the average age of your credit accounts, the types of credit you’re using and how often you apply for new credit. FICO credit scores operate on a range from 300 to 850, with 850 being the highest score possible....

What Are Utilities ETFs? Utilities ETFs passively track a benchmark utilities index that may include electric companies, water utilities, gas companies, and energy traders. Large, publicly traded U.S. utilities include NextEra Energy (NEE), Duke Energy (DUK), Dominion Energy, and Southern Company (SO). What Are the Benefits? There are three primary benefits of investing in utilities ETFs: What To Look for in the Best Funds If you seek income, look at the SEC yield of utilities ETFs before buying....

The new card, issued by Evolve Bank and Trust, complements the Bilt Rewards program managed by Kairos and a consortium of real estate ownership firms. The program enables renters in the company’s real estate network (which includes about 2 million rental units across the country), to earn rewards through rent payments, lease signings, or tenant referrals. Bilt cardholders can redeem points for travel, merchandise, rent payments, and even for a down payment on the purchase of a home....

Why Sellers Feel Uncomfortable While sellers may feel comfortable showing you around their home and talking about their home improvement projects, most do not want to discuss terms of an offer directly with a buyer. If they wanted to sell as an FSBO, they would not have hired an agent. If you call the seller, you take the risk of alienation. Not only do sellers tend to feel uncomfortable talking about the terms of an offer, but they also don’t want to bypass their agent because they believe their agent knows more about real estate than they do....

A short sale lease and buyback is the dark side of capitalism. It is also, under many circumstances, considered to be short sale mortgage fraud. If in doubt, ask the FBI what it thinks about your home preservation company. When it comes to homeowners in distress talking to for-profit home counselors, it’s sort of like being thrown into a shark tank with a bloody leg. There’s only one ending to that scenario, and it’s not pretty....

However, a savings account may not yield you the same return on investment or tax breaks as you could get from a 529 plan, Coverdell ESA, or other college savings strategy. While a savings account at your bank or credit union may be an easy place to start, weigh all your options to find the best way to save for college for you and your family. Considerations for Saving for College When considering the best way to save for college, a number of factors come into play:...

The insurance company will produce an estimate and suggest a local shop to do the repairs. They might pay the repair shop directly. Or, they might cut you a check so you can pay them yourself. But what if you want to do the work on your own to save a little money? Before you go this route, there are a few things to keep in mind. Is There a Lien on Your Car?...